A new research suggests that the risk of premenopausal breast cancer can be higher in women who had a poor diet in adolescence and early adulthood.

For their study, the researchers from the University of California Los Angeles analyzed the data of 45,204 women who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study II. Some of the women completed a food questionnaire in 1991 when they were aged between 27 and 44 years old. Later, in 1998 these women completed a food frequency questionnaire that detailed their diet during high school.

Having analyzed the data, the scientists concluded that women with the highest inflammatory diet score in early adulthood had up to 41% increased risk of premenopausal breast cancer as opposed to the women with the lowest inflammatory diet score.

The study does not establish cause and effect dependence, but the team of the researchers believes that the results further highlight the importance of healthy diet in people’s lives.